


Better To Leave Now

by Fangodess



Series: Maashous and the Mazzuchellis [3]
Category: Rise (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, I dont know how to tag, but like it has a hopeful ending, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 17:44:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangodess/pseuds/Fangodess
Summary: He was supposed to be good and well behaved so they would let him stay. He didn’t know where he would go now, just that he had to leave before they kicked him out. It would hurt less.





	Better To Leave Now

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for the Rise fandom and I'm worried this might be out of character but I hope you like it

At around midnight Maashous snuck down the stairs into the basement so he could fix the washing machine before he had to tell them he broke it. He began to carefully disassemble the washing machine. Once he had the washing machine in pieces he carefully opened the directions and attempted to reassemble and fix the washing machine.  
He slowly began to panic when he couldn’t reassemble it, let alone fix the broken machine. He slumped to the floor, defeated, putting his head in his hands as he fought off tears. He just wanted to fix it so they wouldn’t kick him out. He didn’t want to have to leave. He just wanted to fix this.  
Suddenly Gail’s voice and light flooded the room, “Is someone down here?” Maashous scrambled to his feet as she called, “Hello?” she caught sight of him and looked relieved before saying, “Maashous I thought there was a burglar.”  
“I’m sorry,” He said, not being aware of the lump in his throat until he had to push past it too speak.  
“What are you doing?” Gail asked, looking confused.  
“Trying to fix it,” he said, quietly as he failed to push down the lump in his throat.  
“At night,” she asked, squinting at him, “Why?”  
Maashous began to panic and he said, “It was me. I broke the dryer. I tried to dry my sneakers and the lace got caught and-and… I…” he grew more flustered as spoke.  
Gail cut him off and sharply said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
Maashous blushed, ashamed, and avoided eye contact saying, “I-I don’t know. I’m sorry.”  
Gail sighed, sounding exhausted, “Okay… okay just don’t do anything to it. Leave it alone… I’ll deal with this in the morning,” she turns to go up the stairs but she turns back and says, “and Maashous. In this house we don’t lie to each other,” Then turns to continue up the stairs.  
Maashous suddenly every experience he had had in foster care kicked in and he snarled, “I’m sorry I didn’t see the ‘no lying’ sign on the door”  
Gail turns around and Maashous has to physically stop himself from recoiling at her look, “Let’s both try to get some sleep.”  
Once Gail was out of sight Maashous lets his façade crumble and he sinks to the floor in front of the washing machine. She hates him now. He could see it on her face. Not only had he broken the washing machine but then he had lied to her about breaking the washing machine.  
He was supposed to be good and well behaved so they would let him stay. He didn’t know where he would go now, just that he had to leave before they kicked him out. It would hurt less.  
He brought his knees to his chest and buried his face in his hands. Just because leaving on his own terms meant it would hurt less it didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt. This place had finally started to feel like home and he didn’t want to go, on anyone's terms.  
He lay there sobbing until he eventually fell unconscious. He slept slumped over on the floor of the laundry room where he would eventually come back to, around four in the morning. He gave up on sleep and went upstairs to make breakfast to maybe try and fix things before they throw him out for good.  
***  
“Okay what is wrong?” Michael finally snaps at Maashous, who had been withdrawn and obviously anxious about something all day.  
“What?” Maashous said, jumping, his head snapping up, “Oh… um nothing… nothing’s wrong.”  
“Clearly something is wrong,” Michael said, leaning forward and dropping his voice, “You know you can tell me anything right?”  
Maashous shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face, “I know. I know,” He sighed, “I just… I think Gail might tell me to get out tonight.”  
“What?!” Michael screeched, quietly, “Why… why would you think that?”  
Maashous’s shoulders slumped. “I mean I don’t think she’ll say it like that but I screwed up Michael, I screwed up really bad.”  
“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Michael reassures, “What did you do?”  
“I broke their dryer and then I tried to fix it on my own and now Gail’s mad because I didn’t tell her and I lied to her and then I broke the dryer even more trying to fix it and… and…” he trailed, off feeling miserable.  
“Okay well that’s not… good but I don’t think she would kick you out because of that. If Gordy or Katlynn did that do you think she would…” Michael said.  
Maashous cut him off by yelling, “But I’m not Gordy or Katlynn! I’m not actually her son! The rules are different for me. I tried to fix it, I really did.” By the end he sounded panicked and almost near tears.  
“Maashous,” Michael replied, feeling Maashous meant far more than just fixing the washing machine, there had to be something else, “I’m sure that’s not true. The rules wouldn’t be different for you.”  
“She said that in that house they don’t lie to each other,” Maashous said.  
“Okay, that really doesn’t mean that she’s going to kick you out,” Michael replied.  
“You don’t get it,” Maashous snapped, “Your parents are amazing and that’s great but you don’t get it. I’ve been kicked out for so much less than that and Gordi doesn’t really want me there and trust me if there’s one thing I’ve learned from foster care is that the real son comes first. It’s fine. I was expecting this. Its fine. I don’t stay in one place for too long anymore. I just don’t know where I’ll go. I mean I knew that this was only temporary but…” he trailed off and stared dejectedly at his tray.  
Michael rolled his eyes, “If they really are kicking you out, which I don’t even think they are but let’s say they are, I’m not going to let you be like homeless. You can just crash with me,” he shrugged, stabbed his fork into his food, and took a bite.  
“No, Michael, I don’t want to…” Maashous began to protest.  
“Maashous I’m not going to let you be homeless,” Michael said.  
“I won’t be. I can go back to living in the sound booth or…”  
“You were living in the sound booth?!” Michael exclaimed.  
“Oh yeah,” Maashous said, “That’s… uh… that’s why I was living with Mr. Mazzu in the first place.”  
“Jesus, Maashous. You should have just told me. My parents would have been totally fine with you staying at our house. How long did you live there?”  
“It was only a couple weeks… maybe a month and a half,” Maashous said, shrugging and avoided eye contact, pretending his food was far more interesting than it was.  
“Maashous!” Michael yelled.  
“I’m sorry okay,” Maashous said, “You were just starting to figure out your gender and I didn’t want you to worry more than you needed too and I was fine.”  
Michael sighed, “Okay well you aren’t living in the sound booth again. If the Mazzuchelli’s kick you out you’ll just stay with me.”  
“Okay,” Maashous said, “Thank you,” he added quietly.  
“Of course,” Michael said, smiling and going back to his food.  
***  
Maashous began stuffing things in his bag not long after he got home. Better to leave now, no use dragging it out.  
He’s almost done when Gail walks in and says, “What are you doing?”  
Maashous picked up the play bill Mr. Mazzu gave him and said, “Mr. Mazzu gave it to me. He said it reminded him of the play.”  
“Maashous, where are you going?” she asked. Maashous tried not to look up at her so he didn’t have to see the look on her face.  
“My friend Michael said I could crash at his place until…” he says.  
“Until what?” Gail said. That was a good question. Until his mom got custody back? Until Michael’s family got bored of him? He didn’t even know until what at this point.  
“Nothing, I’m sorry about the dryer,” he said, shaking his head and shoving more things into his bag.  
“You’re not leaving because of the stupid dryer, are you?” she said and when he didn’t respond she added, “I’m sorry if I got angry…”  
Maashous looks up at her and cuts her off, flustered, before saying, “You said in this house we don’t lie.”  
“That doesn’t mean I’m throwing you out of the house,” Gail says, firmly.  
Maashous looks back down at his bag. “I’ve been kicked out for less,” he shifts, uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact.  
Gail looks stunned and frozen for a moment before saying firmly, “Maashous listen to me.”  
She walks closer to him before continuing, “That is not what I meant. You can break 1,000 dryers and I might get angry but were still going to wake up in the morning and have breakfast together and I’m not going to stop caring about you because of that or anything else. Your apart of this family Maashous… come here,” She says, softly before pulling him to her.  
While they hug she quietly adds, “Now put your stuff away, you are not leaving.”  
Maashous tries to make his face emotionless, as he fought tears. He was slowly beginning to realize that in the month he had been with the Mazzuchelli’s he had felt more at home than he ever had anywhere else. He didn’t know what he was going to do about his mom but he knew whatever he had to do Mrs. Mazzuchelli… no Gail, would be with him every step of the way.


End file.
